“Excellent performances (particularly from Yakusho and Yamazaki) and kinetic style that helps to make the drier parts of the story compelling on a visual level.”
– Andrew Parker, Toronto Japanese Film Festival

“An obvious attention to period detail throughout, giving the film an air of authenticity and gravity…viewers invested in the subject matter and content with its unfussy and detached storytelling should appreciate its educational ambitions.”
– James Mudge, easternkicks.com

The Emperor in August (2015) is a Japanese historical drama, directed by Masato Harada (Chronicle of My Mother), about the last days before Japan’s surrender at the end of World War II. It focuses on Emperor Hirohito (Masahiro Motoki), Prime Minister Suzuki (Tsutomo Yamazaki), and War Minister Anami (Kôji Yakusho), contemplating the repercussions of the Potsdam Declaration, a failed military coup, and, more horribly, the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.